Celebrity private jets in India

Stories about celebrity private jets are everywhere, and many of them are wrong. The same lists get copied from site to site, and the aircraft types and crore valuations change with each copy. So this guide takes a stricter line than most.

We only name a person or company where an established news organisation or aviation publication has reported the aircraft, and we say who reported it. Where a report names an aircraft type, we describe that type using the manufacturer's own published figures.

We do not publish registrations, addresses, flight tracking or anything about where or how often anyone flies. Ownership can also change after a report appears. Treat each entry as what was reported at the time, not as a live record.

Bloomberg, in a January 2024 report republished by Gulf News, said Reliance Industries, controlled by Mukesh Ambani, operates a Boeing 737-9 MAX corporate jet. It added that Cirium data showed Reliance as the only corporate operator of that variant. The same report listed an Airbus A319, two Embraer ERJ 145 jets and two helicopters in the company's corporate fleet.

Aviation data publisher ch-aviation later reported that Reliance took its first BBJ 737-9 on 27 August 2024, when the aircraft was ferried from Basel to Delhi.

BBJ stands for Boeing Business Jets, the manufacturer's business version of its airliners. Boeing says the BBJ 737 MAX family can fly up to 6,600 nautical miles (12,220 km) and carry 19 or more passengers, with about three times the cabin space of a typical private jet. That range is the best figure for the family, so an individual variant and cabin layout may differ.

Business Standard reported in January 2024, citing Mint, that the Adani Group's aviation arm, Karnavati Aviation, was in the process of buying six Pilatus PC-24 business jets on the resale market to fly its top executives. The same report listed the group's existing fleet as two Embraer Legacy 650s, a Bombardier Global 6500, a Bombardier Challenger 605, a Hawker Beechcraft 850, a Beechcraft B200 turboprop and two helicopters.

ch-aviation separately reported in 2024 that the group was preparing to add a Boeing BBJ 737-8, which had been ferried to Basel for cabin outfitting.

The PC-24 is a twin-engine light jet with some unusual abilities. Pilatus lists a range of 2,000 nautical miles, a maximum cruise speed of 440 knots true airspeed and a take-off distance of 3,090 feet. Pilatus also says it can use short and unpaved surfaces, including grass and gravel, which widens the choice of airfields it can reach.

Onmanorama reported in July 2024 that M A Yusuff Ali, chairman and managing director of LuLu Group International, bought a Gulfstream G600 in April 2024 for about ₹483 crore. The same report said he had put his earlier Gulfstream G550 up for sale.

Kerala Kaumudi reported in April 2025 that Ravi Pillai, an expatriate businessman and chairman of RP Group, had acquired a G600 of his own, at a reported cost of about ₹650 crore. Both rupee figures are as reported by those newspapers, not manufacturer list prices.

The G600 is a large-cabin, long-range jet. Gulfstream lists a maximum range of 6,600 nautical miles (12,223 km) at Mach 0.85 with eight passengers, seating for up to 19 and up to four living areas. The cabin is 13.77 metres long excluding baggage, 1.88 metres high and 2.31 metres wide. Gulfstream quotes a cabin altitude of 3,255 feet when the aircraft cruises at 41,000 feet.

Not every aircraft on this list is a jet. Airbus announced in January 2019 that Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the Serum Institute of India, had taken delivery of India's first fully customised ACH145, the corporate version of its H145 helicopter.

Airbus described the ACH145 as a twin-engine helicopter seating up to eight passengers. It cited Arriel 2E engines producing 951 shaft horsepower for take-off, a shrouded Fenestron tail rotor that reduces noise, and Helionix avionics with a four-axis autopilot as standard.

Helicopters suit short trips where a runway is not close to the start or end of the journey. Their range is far shorter than any jet's, so they tend to complement a jet rather than replace one.

The G650 is the aircraft many people picture when they think of a top-end private jet. We have not found a reputable report naming an Indian owner, so we describe the type here without attaching a name to it.

According to General Dynamics, Gulfstream's parent company, the G650 was certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration in September 2012, and the longer-range G650ER followed in October 2014. The G650 can fly 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 km) at Mach 0.85, or 6,000 nautical miles at Mach 0.90. The G650ER stretches that to 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km) at Mach 0.85.

General Dynamics describes the cabin as the largest purpose-built business jet cabin, with 16 panoramic windows, 100 per cent fresh air and a low cabin altitude. Those are manufacturer claims, but together with the range they explain the type's appeal for long nonstop flights between continents.

Online lists regularly claim that Bollywood actors and cricketers own private jets, often with model names and valuations attached. When we checked, most gave no source, and the aircraft details varied from one list to the next. Lists of cricketers said to own jets usually name no aircraft type at all.

One example shows the risk. Ajay Devgn has long been described online as the owner of a Hawker 800. In 2025 he told BookMyShow's Unscripted, as reported by Bollywood Hungama, that the story was "not true". He said he had planned to buy a jet and had secured a deal, but it did not go through.

So we have left out stars whose ownership we could not confirm through a reputable report. Owning an aircraft is also not the only way to fly privately. A charter gives you a whole aircraft and crew for your trip, without the cost of buying, crewing and maintaining one.

Altivo is a charter broker. We do not own or operate aircraft. We arrange flights with operators that hold a Non-Scheduled Operator Permit (NSOP) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Under DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirement for non-scheduled operations, an NSOP holder can charter a whole aircraft, its aircraft must be registered in India with a valid certificate of airworthiness, and it must carry insurance covering passengers, baggage, crew and third parties.

Charter aircraft in India range from turboprops such as the Beechcraft B200 to light, midsize, super-midsize and heavy jets, plus helicopters. Ultra-long-range types such as the Gulfstream G650 or Bombardier Global 7500 are rare on Indian charter permits, so availability depends on the operator and the date. Because NSOP aircraft must be registered in India, a jet registered abroad cannot simply be added to an Indian charter permit.

If you want something close to a G600 or G650 experience on a domestic trip, a super-midsize or heavy jet is usually the practical choice. The cabin is smaller, but most domestic sectors do not need intercontinental range, and these types are easier to find.

As a guide, heavy jets on Indian charter currently cost ₹6.99 lakh to ₹10.01 lakh per flight hour, super-midsize jets ₹5.01 lakh to ₹6.49 lakh, midsize jets ₹3.52 lakh to ₹4.51 lakh and helicopters ₹1.21 lakh to ₹2.48 lakh. Final prices depend on routing, positioning flights, waiting time and taxes. Before you pay, you should know which NSOP operator will fly you and which aircraft type you are getting. Ask your broker for both, and get them in writing.